Dang I live in the suburbs. I can go to football games, play d&d, go to concerts, hang out at brewpubs, etc. The same things other Americans do to amuse themselves :)
Plus I can go rock climbing, boating on thousands of different lakes, canoeing for days, camping, hunting, stargazing, etc. It's an amazing place to live.
Unusually, its typically leaving town to see other things in the midwest, maybe going to Chicago or Fort Wayne. Although I find Fort Wayne depressingly car dependent from what I've seen, so I prefer Chicago.
St Louis actually has a music scene so I go to see live music, especially festivals nearby or 1/2 states away. Regular bands, opera, symphony, jazz, musicals, etc. Kansas City is nearby enough that I can pop over if I'm excited for a big act. Chicago is a train ride away.
Tabletop rpgs or video games. I'm moving away from crunchy games like D&D towards narrative focused stuff. MoTW, Dungeon World, Wanderhome, one-page RPGs.
I'm a weird coffee person so I have a booklet where I rate coffees and I brew at home.
Cooking is a hobby of mine that I quite enjoy, especially when I invite friends over to help.
going outside to watch the storm roll in when the tornado siren goes off
Hopping on my bike and hitting the trails.
Live music on general, barn dances in particular.
Everyone gathering in Grandma's parlor Sundays after church.
Dang I live in the suburbs. I can go to football games, play d&d, go to concerts, hang out at brewpubs, etc. The same things other Americans do to amuse themselves :)
Plus I can go rock climbing, boating on thousands of different lakes, canoeing for days, camping, hunting, stargazing, etc. It's an amazing place to live.
Unusually, its typically leaving town to see other things in the midwest, maybe going to Chicago or Fort Wayne. Although I find Fort Wayne depressingly car dependent from what I've seen, so I prefer Chicago.
Always the nature. I'm probably more "west" than Midwest but, hiking, camping, mountain biking... What more could you want?
St Louis actually has a music scene so I go to see live music, especially festivals nearby or 1/2 states away. Regular bands, opera, symphony, jazz, musicals, etc. Kansas City is nearby enough that I can pop over if I'm excited for a big act. Chicago is a train ride away.
Tabletop rpgs or video games. I'm moving away from crunchy games like D&D towards narrative focused stuff. MoTW, Dungeon World, Wanderhome, one-page RPGs.
I'm a weird coffee person so I have a booklet where I rate coffees and I brew at home.
Cooking is a hobby of mine that I quite enjoy, especially when I invite friends over to help.
Being in or near water and spending the whole day drinking.
Fishing.
Random small town festivals.
Sitting on the front porch and watching people and cars drive down the street while drinking a beer
Going to live music in the park on the weekends
Storm/weather watching
Going for a drive to just drive, no real destination.
It may be once a year but the Iowa star fair is definitely worth the visit to Des Moines. You can even camp at the ground with an rv or a tent
Not my cup of tea. I go for a day every 4 or 5 years, if only to remind myself why I don't go every year. Way too peopley.
I agree it gets busy, I grew up in Urbandale a suburb of Des Moines, we went every year for the concerts
Food, beer, and socializing with friends and family.
float trips and camping with friends in the missouri ozark region
Biking (as in cycling). Yesterday I biked 25 miles on the flattest trail ever paved. It was so chill. Love MN trails